Vuelta a Andalucía 2019 – Stage 3 preview
By David Hunter
Mancha Real – La Guardia de Jaén 16.5km
Not your average time trial.
This is a hugely demanding race against the clock.
We have a variety of differently climbing sections in the opening 6km: 920m at 3.6%, 1.25km at 5% and 1.38km at 8%. What follows is an incredibly fast descent, where the riders will reach scary speeds. This section lasts 9km and will be an opportunity for TT specialists to make up some time, but it is that fast I’m doubtful it will make much of a difference.
The riders then take a left turn off the main road and start the climb up to the finishing line, it is 1.75km at 8.4%, but it includes 500m at 11.4%. It is a finish that has been used before, I remember Dani Moreno winning here back in 2012. Sure, this is a TT, but it’s a great one for the climbers. Such a challenging route is perfect news for those who prefer climbing and usually struggle against the clock.
Weather
Another beautiful day, with little wind.
Contenders
Ion Izagirre – has to start as the overwhelming favourite. Just missed out on taking the Valenciana TT, where he was beaten by a herculean effort from Boasson Hagen. Izagirre was a very promising TT rider, but his move to Bahrain didn’t help him, as their TT bike wasn’t very fast. Now that Astana have invested in some new bikes of their own, it looks like Izagirre is ready to re-join the TT big boys. The rolling nature of the course is great for him, it’s just like being back in the Basque Country. A big win will all but secure the GC, even before the Queen stage.
Pello Bilbao – after finishing 7th in the Valenciana TT he should be targeting the podium in this stage. I don’t think he’ll be fast enough to win, but the podium is a realistic ambition.
Jakob Fuglsang – not another Astana rider! The Dane is a solid TT rider, but doesn’t often challenge for a win. The route is actually well suited to him and he’ll be hoping to complete an Astana 1-2-3.
Tim Wellens – the Belgian says he’s been working on his TT skills. He’s always been a strong rider against the clock and I’m keen to see where he’s managed to improve. After winning the opening stage, he’ll be hoping to do well enough to stay in the yellow jersey. The short, steep climbs are ideal for him to use his power and he’ll also be looking forward to the fast descent. Could push Izagirre very close for the win.
Dylan Teuns – disappointed in the opening stage, the illness he picked up after Valenciana clearly had an impact. It will be very hard to reverse this in just a couple of days.
Steven Kruijswijk – Square Shoulder Steve is usually strong against the clock, but I’m not sure this route is perfect for him. I think he would prefer more consistent gradients, rather than what we have in Andalucía. He should finish in the top 10 and could make the top 5.
Jack Haig – I hope he spent some of the Winter working on his TT bike. Haig is a rider I do like, one who makes steady progression every year. Now that both Yates brothers have dropped time, he’s the undisputed leader of the squad. He was 14th in the Valenciana TT, but needs to go better than that to remain close to the Astana riders. A top 10 would be a good result.
Prediction Time
Izagirre v Wellens. I think that Izagirre’s TT pedigree will see him take the win, but not by much.
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David Hunter
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